Harrison County reviews IT budget, approves software and phone expenditures

Mister Niffenegger, a county IT staff member, told the board the IT department will transition several systems next year and requested new licenses and maintenance funds, and the governing body approved the budget item by voice vote.

The presentation to the board focused on two primary software requests: licenses for OpenAI tools that the IT department would use for administrative and technical work, and NinjaOne, a network-management platform meant to replace multiple older tools and allow remote connections, scheduled updates and more direct device control. "This next year will be a year of transitioning," Mister Niffenegger said as he described the planned moves to new phone and software systems.

Why it matters: the purchases and line-item corrections affect recurring costs across county departments and the county's ability to maintain networks and public-safety dispatch services. The meeting also clarified a $24,000 annual line for the tax office to run dual systems while it evaluates a move to harris.gov; that $24,000 is an annual amount paid monthly, not a monthly $24,000 charge.

Details from the presentation

- Software and new tools: Niffenegger said the county is requesting OpenAI licenses and NinjaOne to improve remote support and device management. He described NinjaOne as consolidating several tools previously used for similar functions.

- Public-safety dispatch (CAD): The CAD contract rose slightly because the county added about 10 mobile units and additional desktop licenses.

- Tax office and Gemini/harris.gov: A $24,000 entry remains in the budget for the tax office to run its existing Gemini tax program in parallel while any transition is evaluated. A board member said tax-office staff reported poor experiences with the Harris Government product and training; Niffenegger said he has not been heavily involved and that the tax office may opt to remain on its current system.

- Overtime and staffing: For data processing, Niffenegger said overtime was increased to provide scheduling flexibility (he estimated modest use, roughly 0.25–0.5 hours per pay period per technician) and recommended keeping five staff positions to handle web-accessibility and cybersecurity work.

- Cell-phone allowance and travel: A correction set the annual cell-phone allowance at $2,400 (five staff at $40 per month). He also added $5,000 to travel to fund technology conferences, which he said can cost roughly $4,000 per trip.

Vendor and billing issues

Niffenegger reported billing and credit timing problems with the county's new RingCentral phone system, noting the county received three months of credits but began receiving bills before credits were fully applied. "I have it on my cell phone, and I couldn't be more happier with it," he said, while acknowledging vendor billing remains an item staff are resolving.

Board action and next steps

A motion "by request for Hatfield" was made and seconded "by request for Timmons." The Chair called for a voice vote; members said "Aye," no opposition was voiced, and the motion passed by voice vote. The meeting then moved on to other business and procedural wrap-up.

The county did not provide a specific implementation timeline for the new licenses or a definitive decision date for any tax-office software change; the tax-office transition status was described as dependent on the tax office's internal choice and vendor interactions.

Sources and attribution: quotes and attributions in this article come from the meeting transcript. The IT presentation and answers were delivered by Mister Niffenegger; questions and the motion were handled by the meeting Chair and a committee member who seconded the motion.

Next procedural step: the budget item was approved by voice vote during the meeting; staff will proceed with the administrative steps needed to implement the approved line items and resolve outstanding vendor billing issues.